Working Retail: Men…

I hate working retail with men. Now, I know this seems sexist. But let me explain.

There is not a day that goes by when I am not subject to belittling based on my gender, or hit on by customers and colleagues alike.

So when I say I hate working with men, I really men that I hate being demeaned by them while I’m literally doing nothing more than working.

Now, I consider myself cute. But I don’t show up to work in a full face of make-up or wearing anything provocative. I show in jeans and a t-shirt. I don’t go above and beyond for my appearance because this is work, not a club.

But it is utterly distracting and border-line rude when a male customer, male vendor, male colleague feels the need to flirt and ask me out while I’m just trying to do my job. It is uncalled for to be checked out by someone who honestly doesn’t have a chance.

And any man in what they think is a position of management? Dear god, do they ruffle my feathers. There’s one guy who’s an old marine and acts like everything he says and does is law. He’s new, been there less than 6 months. But the way he treats women in his department, talking down to them and acting like they don’t know anything when those women have been in that department for years. He talked down to me once. Once.

He doesn’t talk to me anymore.

And that also astounds me. That when you give back to a man what he’s been giving to you in attitude and tone, he acts like you spit on his mother. What about having a dick and most things handed to you makes you an utter dick to be around? Oh wait…

I can’t grasp how a guy thinks that treating women like this is respectable, let alone acceptable. It’s absolutely nuts that I have to worry about fending off nasty unwashed miscreants instead of getting to do my work.

And for all of you that want to whine to me about how I should be flattered that guys want to date me, I hate that. You don’t get it and I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman when you say that shit. You don’t get it.